Riddles In the Dark
by TheNewHope
Summary: (Wicked) [GlindaElphaba] Glinda was not pleased.


**title:** Riddles in the Dark  
**codes:** Glinda/Elphaba. bookverse.  
**summary:** Glinda was not pleased.  
**notes:** for Yuletide '04.

Glinda's whole body was shaking in a most uncomfortable manner. Her mouth tasted of sour milk and too much cider, and her head felt as if it had been stuffed full of cotton and then kicked about a few times.

She had no idea where she was.

Opening her eyes, she surveyed her surroundings with a frown. The air was stuffy and dark, so that she could barely make out the details of the face of the Munchinlander sitting opposite her. Soft snores and the scrape of wheels against uneven stone assaulted her ears. She was pressed between a creaking wall, which loosely held a small window, and a cloaked figure rudely using her shoulder as a pillow. On closer inspection she realized that the figure was none other than Miss Elphaba tucked deep within her rain slicker. This knowledge did little to lessen the urge to push her away.

Slowly, through the fog of the night before, she remembered where they were: in a carriage on their way to the Emerald City.

Glinda was not pleased.

Her memories of the night before were tangled and fuzzy around the edges. Ama Clutch had passed on, the silly thing, and Madame Morrible had been kind enough to host a gathering in her memory. Then they'd been at the Peach and Kidneys with Boq and Pfannee and the rest and there'd been wine and cream and laughter. There'd been talk of visiting the Philosophy club. Then Elphaba had gotten all high and mighty and dragged her back to their room to grab a few items and then off to the train station to catch a carriage. And now she was here.

While it occurred to her now that it was probably a good thing that she'd not ended up at the Philosophy Club with the others, that wasn't the point. The point was that Elphaba had dragged her away on some half-cocked mission to see the Wizard and she hadn't even had a chance to grab her good dress, the green one that made her look worldly while accentuating the sheen of her hair.

Just a few hours before she'd been in the safety of the academic confines of Shiz and now she was stuck in some third-class cart traveling on what had to be the bumpiest road in all of Oz. And to top it all off Elphaba had the nerve to fall asleep and leave her alone to bear the nosy stares of their fellow passengers.

No, she was not at all pleased.

She wondered how long they'd been on the road. Only a small stream of tepid light entered through the dirty window, giving the impression that it was both dusk and dawn. The carriage rocked as it hit a particularly deep hitch in the road and her stomach rolled in counterpoint to it. She wished she'd had the foresight to grab a tonic for her head during their mad dash to pack the night before.

Next to her Elphaba stirred, lifting her head and peering owlishly at the interior of the coach. Glinda had half a mind to give Elphaba a piece of her mind, but as she turned to regard the other girl she caught the gaze of that nosy Munchkinlander and was quietly reminded of their close confines. Biting her tongue and offering as polite a smile as she could muster, she quickly turned her head back to the window and glared at its marred surface. There'd be time enough to tell Elphaba off once they got to their first layover, she was sure of that.

The carriage seemed to be slowing, it's rocking calming, and Glinda thought she could make out the shapes of buildings through the shadowy glass. She felt Elphaba shift again, felt the pressure of the other girl's hand on her shoulder. She resisted the urge to turn.

"Glinda," Elphaba's voice was rakishly loud in the gloom of the carriage. Glinda gritted her teeth and ignored her. A few moments more and then the weight on her arm disappeared. "Have it your way, then." She just knew that Elphaba was rolling her eyes as she settled back into her seat.

The carriage was definitely slowing and the sounds of city dwelling could be heard from outside its thin walls. A few more minutes passed before the carriage stopped abruptly, forcing Glinda to grab onto her seat to keep from being thrown into the passengers sitting opposite of them.

A call from the front made it apparent that they'd reached their stop. Pulling her valise out from under her seat, Glinda was dismayed to realize how light it was. It was just her luck that before her first trip to the Emerald City she'd been too drunk to pack properly.

Elphaba stepped down from the carriage before her and turned to offer her arm. Ignoring her, Glinda disembarked under her own power and turned to cast an appraising glance at the listless buildings that lined the street. Sagging under their own weight, the houses and shops tilted into the street, blocking what little light was left in the sky. They reminded her all too much of her hometown back in the Glikkus and she had to push down a shiver of homesickness for Shiz.

Elphaba had already made her way toward a doorway marked with the sign of an inn and tavern, forcing Glinda to step quickly to catch up to her. Following the other girl into the dimly lit tavern Glinda held back a scowl. The room was filled with all manner of people, though no Animals, something that Elphaba pointed out with a frown. She followed as Elphaba pushed through the crowded tables, heading toward a small table near the back of the room.

Settling gingerly into the roughly cut chair, Glinda peered through the murky air in search of a waiter, only to spot one headed their way with a tray pilled high with mugs and bowls. She hadn't realized she'd been hungry until a large mug of watery stew was plopped in front of her by the bored looking girl. Taking only a moment to grumble about the low quality of service, she gladly devoured the small meal.

Elphaba sat back in her chair and watched Glinda eat, lifting her head to survey the room every so often and paying no attention to the mug in front of her. It seemed she was content to let Glinda have her sulk. That served only to irritate Glinda further.

Once Glinda had finished her supper, and a good portion of her companion's, Elphaba stood up without a word. Glinda followed behind her, quietly glad to be getting out of the crowded, smoky pub. Procuring a key from the innkeeper, Elphaba led the way up the back stairs. With each creaky step Glinda's hopes for their room fell.

Elphaba stopped at the first unmarked door in the dark hall, quickly inserting the key and preceding Glinda into the room. Glinda gingerly stepped over the threshold, keeping the door open in an attempt to allow as much light as possible into the room.

"Well, let's have it." Elphaba dropped her bag against a bed post and turned to regard Glinda, her expression one of mild irritation.

"I have nothing to say to you." Glinda lifted her chin, surveying the cramped room with a scowl of disgust, and ignored the other girl. Her headache had softened, and with it her anger at Elphaba, with the presence of food in her stomach. She was content to make her feelings known by keeping up her cold shoulder. Even if it was becoming a little lonely.

Instead, she focused on the unsatisfactory state of their room. There was barely enough room for the small bed that lined one wall and the shabby table that held a chipped washing bowl. The bubbled glass of the small window barely allowed any light from the oil streetlamps outside to enter. "This is really unacceptable."

"It's all we can afford." Elphaba plunked down onto the bed, which sagged under her small weight. She watched Glinda glare at the room with a small frown. Glinda could feel the other girl's gaze and her hand fidgeted on the knob as she finally pulled the door closed.

"Was it really necessary to make away like bandits in the dead of the night?" Glinda's resolve to ignore the topic slipped and she turned her glare on Elphaba. "You could have at least given me some warning, a chance to at least prepare myself properly.

"I mean, _really_, Elphaba," Glinda was quickly working into a rant now that she had let herself speak. "I don't see what could be so important that we need to steal away to the Emerald City without telling anyone. What will Nanny and Nessarose think? And Madame Morrible?"

"Screw what Morrible thinks." it took some effort for Elphaba to spit the bitter words out, as if her own mouth refused to criticize the Head. Glinda opened her mouth to remind Elphaba of Madame Morrible's power over their academic lives, but Elphaba quickly continued on in a calmer voice, "I can't say why," at the look on her face Glinda wondered if Elphaba knew the reason herself, "but we need to get to the Emerald City and get an audience with the Wizard."

Glinda opened her mouth to argue and then thought better of it. They were already this far and she certainly wasn't about to head back to Shiz without Elphaba. And there was no point in fighting over something she couldn't change. Of course, none of that stopped her from being annoyed about it all.

Wordlessly, Glinda turned to her bag and busied herself with her bedtime preparations. It seemed like Elphaba was happy to drop the conversation, which was fine by her.

The room stayed silent except for faint echoes from the tavern below as they both changed into their nightgowns. Gingerly sliding under the thin wool blanket Glinda claimed the wall side of the bed as her own and turned her back to Elphaba and the room. A few minutes later the room went dark and the mattress shifted as Elphaba silently joined her on the bed.

"It will work out." minutes later, Elphaba spoke quietly into the darkness. There was something in her voice that caught at Glinda. Made her wonder if maybe Elphaba wasn't trying to convince herself just as much as she was Glinda.

Shifting to her side, she turned to face the other girl. In the shadowy light from the street she could see that Elphaba's jaw was clenched against some emotion. Reaching her hand out, Glinda cup a soft green cheek and turned Elphaba's face so she could look her in the eye. She was amazed to see a lone tear trace its way down her friend's cheek.

Sucking in a shallow breath she wiped the tear away with her thumb and looked questioningly into Elphaba's eyes. Elphaba was supposed to be the strong one, the one who kept a level head in any situation. Steely and sarcastic she could deal with from Elphaba, but she had no idea how to react to this new, emotional side of her.

Elphaba shifted, beginning to pull away from her. Glinda tightened her hold on Elphaba, moving her hand down to cup her neck and stop her movement. The look in dark eyes warned her against offering any platitudes, so she stayed silent, instead inching closer to the other girl. Leaning down, she brushed her lips against Elphaba's.

She had meant for it to be a soft, calming kiss, but at the contact Elphaba seemed to come alive, wrapping her arms around her shoulders and pulling Glinda to her. Elphaba's tongue pushed against her lips and her hands sought out warm skin of Glinda's shoulders.

Glinda pulled back to try and catch her breath. In one quick movement Elphaba flipped them, pressing her long frame against Glinda's body and capturing her mouth for another kiss. Sure hands worked their way under the silk of her gown, sparking arcs of energy under her skin.

There was a fierceness to Elphaba's touch, a desperation in her kiss, that stole Glinda's breath. Long fingers slid down her hip, entering her with one quick, sharp thrust. Elphaba's mouth captured her nipple in a sharp kiss before continuing its way down her body. It was all Glinda could do to wrap her fingers in long tresses and hold on. Moments and months later she bit her lip against a scream as she came.

Glinda found herself crying as she pulled Elphaba back up, pulling her into a slow, burning kiss. Glinda could taste herself on Elphaba's lips. It tasted like goodbye.

_fin_


End file.
